[A] barnburner of a new book.

The book argues powerfully that the open-ended War on Terror has been an exceptionalist fantasy, a bipartisan failure, and a profound risk to American democracy.

Ackerman provides an in-depth examination of the national security policy of the United States in the 20 years since 9/11.

The first major work to consider the War on Terror in its entirety, Reign of Terror documents the last 20 years of state-sponsored violence at a blistering pace, creating a near-constant cycle of recollection and frustration for the reader. Ackerman’s real achievement is a commitment to scale, an expansiveness that encourages readers to see the long view. The results are terrifying.

Part-chronicle, part-polemic.

I mean it as a compliment when I say that this is clearly the work of an author who was himself extremely online for much of this period and has a gift for conveying the overcaffeinated, manic energy of online political discourse.

Attempting the near impossible, national-security correspondent Ackerman offers a book stuffed to the brim with details discussing the events leading to 9/11 and how America’s response paved the way for the ascension of Donald Trump to the presidency 15 years later, while still acknowledging his project’s incompleteness.

... forg[es] a new, bright-orange link in a causal chain that connects 9/11 to today.

Ackerman capably connects seemingly disparate elements without forcing issues.

[A] sweeping indictment of post-9/11 politics.